Seattle Elementary teachers to wear BLM t-shirts in class

[arkieb1]

Re: Seattle Elementary teachers to wear BLM t-shirts in clas

If this thread is any example of how the t-shirt day might go down, I'd say my safety concerns are justified. Some of the dialogue here has been fairly heated, so how could one possibly think that it would go any better on that day of school? It's irresponsible (and risky) to put this on those kids and I feel bad for them There are plenty of learning opportunities and this isn't one of them.

Children in your elementary school system statistically are more likely to be harmed at school camps, playing sports and just going about their day to day activities due to the amount of guns many of you are happy with in your society and it's ironically fascinating that some of the people on here that are most vocal about the need to protect themselves and their families, and their rights to have guns are also the same people flipping out about a few teachers wearing these shirts.

 

[momhappy]

Re: Seattle Elementary teachers to wear BLM t-shirts in clas

^Yes, I agree and we try to reduce some of those risks by doing things like having locked school doors, wearing helmets, etc.
Obviously, this isn't about "a few teachers wearing shirts" or this thread wouldn't be 5 pages long and the school wouldn't feel the need to have "community leaders" greeting people in the entryway and aide in the dialogue that might follow.
I never said that there was some huge risk, I said there was *a* risk and that for me was enough to consider it inappropriate. I'm not sure why that prompted you to give me the eye roll, but I get that this is a heated subject.

Edited to add: now 6 pages long...

 

[Cluless]

Re: Seattle Elementary teachers to wear BLM t-shirts in clas

Ok so if I would want to be politically correct and not offend anyone with words I would be wearing a t-shirt with one of these pictures on it....... wait come to think of it I'd be wearing the t-shirt with both pictures on in it one in front and one in back ....a picture says a thousand words after all.

 

[AGBF]

Re: Seattle Elementary teachers to wear BLM t-shirts in clas

When they teach the holocaust do they dress up as Nazis to ostracize the students of German heritage?

Wow. I managed to stay out of this thread for six pages! No one can say I caused trouble in this thread! But, having taught European history from the dawn of time through the Vietnam War in two easy years to ninth and tenth graders, I can attest to having "taught the Holocaust". The answer to the question above is:

No.

I hope I have been helpful.

Deb

 

[Tekate]

Re: Seattle Elementary teachers to wear BLM t-shirts in clas

I have a "Asian lives matter" T shirt...

Not all Asians feel the way you do. http://everydayfeminism.com/2016/06/racism-against-asian-americans/

If this were 1942 you might feel a little differently about what lives matter.

This was WWII...let bygones be bygones. Heck, Maybe China should invade Japan to revenge all the Chinese lives they took during WWII?

No doubt China would like to. Bygones be bygones? sure. But it's a good example and many Asisans today still feel discriminated against.

 

[the_mother_thing]

Re: Seattle Elementary teachers to wear BLM t-shirts in clas

Ok so if I would want to be politically correct and not offend anyone with words I would be wearing a t-shirt with one of these pictures on it....... wait come to think of it I'd be wearing the t-shirt with both pictures on in it one in front and one in back ....a picture says a thousand words after all.

I love both of those pictures! I remember the news coverage of the first ... my heart was absolutely overcome!

 

[House Cat]

Re: Seattle Elementary teachers to wear BLM t-shirts in clas

Why is it so difficult to have empathy for a race of people who have been harmed and oppressed? Why is it "wrong" to acknowledge their struggles and to see how far they have come? What is wrong with being realistic about where a majority of these people the level of poverty they live in? What is the problem with learning the truths about who put them there?

I see a lot of flat out refusal to see reality and truth on this thread. Denial is a wonderful thing when you want to stay solidified in your own beliefs but it still makes you wrong.

 

[AnnaH]

Re: Seattle Elementary teachers to wear BLM t-shirts in clas

By and large Americans know that
Our country has a terrible history concerning people of color.
Racial prejudice, while less than in the past, still exists.
Too many black people live in poverty.
Too many black people are uneducated.
Too many black people live in dangerous neighborhoods.
Too many young black men die violent deaths.
Too many black men are in prison.
Too many innocent black men are stopped by police.
The BLM movement isn't moving the needle because awareness is not the problem or the solution.

 

[OreoRosies86]

Re: Seattle Elementary teachers to wear BLM t-shirts in clas

By and large Americans know that
Our country has a terrible history concerning people of color.
Racial prejudice, while less than in the past, still exists.
Too many black people live in poverty.
Too many black people are uneducated.
Too many black people live in dangerous neighborhoods.
Too many young black men die violent deaths.
Too many black men are in prison.
Too many innocent black men are stopped by police.
The BLM movement isn't moving the needle because awareness is not the problem or the solution.

To say BLM isn't making a difference is highly debatable. And while we still have people saying "Slavery was a long time ago, get over it already" I'd say an alarming amount of Americans don't see this even as a problem, just a reality.

I mean look at the reaction on this very thread to a white woman being called privileged. I'm a white person who grew up poor too, that doesn't mean anything when I'm walking or driving late at night. Cops aren't going "Huh, a white woman. Maybe she grew up poor. Better make sure she isn't carrying drugs." But trying to explain the concept is met with anger and "I'M NOT PRIVILEGED HOW DARE YOU" instead of thinking about why someone might say that.

It's much easier to live in that paradigm. And subconsciously it's much easier to want a group to stay down. Because uprisings and social revolution is scary. And it might affect your "real" life. And there would be no one to sue. And there would be no one left to ask what happened to YOUR rights regarding this matter?

 

[momhappy]

Re: Seattle Elementary teachers to wear BLM t-shirts in clas

Just because some of us might not agree with the method, doesn't mean that we don't agree with the message....

 

[OreoRosies86]

Re: Seattle Elementary teachers to wear BLM t-shirts in clas

When the old method and niceties aren't making an impact, new ones will be introduced. I say this without a hint of nastiness, it's not really anyone's problem anymore if people don't like others trying a non violent, non profane method of awareness. It's just... not.

 

[House Cat]

Re: Seattle Elementary teachers to wear BLM t-shirts in clas

Just because some of us might not agree with the method, doesn't mean that we don't agree with the message....

I think the method is coming from a stance of sheer desperation.

Pushing people to their limit will create this sort of action.

I get it.

 

[momhappy]

Re: Seattle Elementary teachers to wear BLM t-shirts in clas

^and I'm not opposed to taking action. I am opposed to putting a school full of 5-10 year-olds at the forefront of such action, because again, you can't predict how people will respond.

 

[AnnaH]

Re: Seattle Elementary teachers to wear BLM t-shirts in clas

Just because some of us might not agree with the method, doesn't mean that we don't agree with the message....

Well said.

 

[OreoRosies86]

Re: Seattle Elementary teachers to wear BLM t-shirts in clas

Given that black children have been killed by police, I'd say school would be a very appropriate venue.

 

[momhappy]

Re: Seattle Elementary teachers to wear BLM t-shirts in clas

^and that's where some of us disagree, but that's okay and that doesn't necessarily mean that some of us are racist.

 

[ruby59]

Re: Seattle Elementary teachers to wear BLM t-shirts in clas

Just because some of us might not agree with the method, doesn't mean that we don't agree with the message....

Well said.

Yes Mom. That is exactly the point I was trying to make here.

 

[ruby59]

Re: Seattle Elementary teachers to wear BLM t-shirts in clas

^and I'm not opposed to taking action. I am opposed to putting a school full of 5-10 year-olds at the forefront of such action, because again, you can't predict how people will respond.

And once again, mom. yes.

I can understand the desperation but in this day and age I am not going to turn grade school children into guinea pigs to do it.

 

[ruby59]

Re: Seattle Elementary teachers to wear BLM t-shirts in clas

No one can say I caused trouble in this thread!
_________________________

Since this post was to me -

AGBF I hope it was not me who even insinuated this in the least. I respect and enjoy reading your posts. Feel free to respond to me anytime. You are entitled to your opinions same as everyone else.

 

[AGBF]

Re: Seattle Elementary teachers to wear BLM t-shirts in clas

No one can say I caused trouble in this thread!
_________________________

Since this post was to me -

AGBF I hope it was not me who even insinuated this in the least. I respect and enjoy reading your posts. Feel free to respond to me anytime. You are entitled to your opinions same as everyone else.

It wasn't to you, sweetheart. It was a general joke. All you did was comment on teachers teaching the Holocaust.

 

[mary poppins]

Re: Seattle Elementary teachers to wear BLM t-shirts in clas

Given that black children have been killed by police, I'd say school would be a very appropriate venue.

How are teachers wearing BLM t-shirts relevant to the issue of police killing black children?

Given that police have killed black children and men, and a variety of other people, I'd say police departments would be very appropriate venues for professional training.

 

[OreoRosies86]

Re: Seattle Elementary teachers to wear BLM t-shirts in clas

Given that black children have been killed by police, I'd say school would be a very appropriate venue.

How are teachers wearing BLM t-shirts relevant to the issue of police killing black children?

Given that police have killed black children and men, and a variety of other people, I'd say police departments would be very appropriate venues for professional training.

If you go back and read what I've already written in this thread, you will find my answers and my very clear point of view.

 

[SMC]

Re: Seattle Elementary teachers to wear BLM t-shirts in clas

I live in Seattle. I have a child. Now I want to send her to John Muir.

I think teaching children not to see color is not the answer and discussions about what is going on in the world needs to happen in the classroom as well as at home. Studies have shown that by teaching children colorblindness, they are less likely to detect discrimination when it occurs: http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/in-blind-pursuit-of-racial-equality-103516464.html..

The best analogy I read about BLM is if you go to a doctor for a broken bone and the doctor says "all bones matter." Ok, but let's fix this broken one first?

Also, I've been in enough arguments to know that it's very hard to change people's opinions about anything, but I did want to get my thoughts out there.

 

[ericad]

Re: Seattle Elementary teachers to wear BLM t-shirts in clas

Still catching up on this interesting thread, but chiming in to say that I'm in the Seattle area and have a 6th grader. I have zero issue with what they did (though I concede that they SHOULD have notified parents in advance of this, so that those who feel it's inappropriate for whatever reason could opt their child out that day), in fact I applaud any effort a teacher (or group of educators) makes to engage children to have conversations about relevant current events, which this most certainly is. It's been all over the news, the kids are seeing it and may not understand what it's all about. I just asked my daughter "what if you went to school and all the teachers were wearing shirts that said 'Black Lives Matter' - what would you think?" She said, "I would think that they want me to respect all people no matter what they look like." She has no knowledge of the BLM movement, or of the police brutality issues plaguing our nation right now. True story, I literally just asked her. Not once did it occur to her that it was a statement about the relative value of her own non-black life, or some proclamation about her lack of value.

Part of a well rounded education is to learn math, reading, writing, social studies, etc. AND ALSO to learn about current events, to develop compassion, to rail against injustice, and to learn how to be a critical thinker (maybe even to question authority every once in awhile). It's this second half that is missing in public education versus when I was in school. My teachers did a wonderful job teaching us these things, back when there was no standardized testing to worry about - they taught us how to be contributing humans, and it was invaluable. I really fear for the future of today's kids who are lacking in this kind of well rounded education.

 

[ruby59]

Re: Seattle Elementary teachers to wear BLM t-shirts in clas

http://mynorthwest.com/393527/john-muir-teachers-black-lives-matter/

This has now been cancelled due to security reasons.

 

[MollyMalone]

Re: Seattle Elementary teachers to wear BLM t-shirts in clas

* * * This is an interesting article:
http://dailycaller.com/2016/09/13/elementary-school-teachers-wear-blm-shirts-to-talk-about-systematic-oppression/
The article says that the day the teachers wear the shirts, community leaders will greet school children as they enter the school (so it's not just about wearing a shirt that might go unrecognized by a young kid). It also states that they expect some contention, but they feel that's good because it could spark a debate with those who disagree.
They are EXPECTING a certain amount of disagreement and to me that's clearly a potential safety issue. Is this really something that adults should be debating in an elementary school while a school day is in session I agree with teaching kids about these sorts of issues (and most schools have a curriculum that includes race), but I absolutely do not agree with this method. I think it's irresponsible.

* * * Obviously, this isn't about "a few teachers wearing shirts" or this thread wouldn't be 5 pages long and the school wouldn't feel the need to have "community leaders" greeting people in the entryway and aide in the dialogue that might follow.

Would be interested in learning why you put community leaders in air quotes in your second post.

Local media often do a better job than the national media of covering local issues -- and this is a sterling example. (My apologies for not being able to post before now what I learned last night.) Community leaders were among those who had planned to be at John Muir Elementary School today, well before the teachers' decision to wear BLM t-shirts made its way into banner headlines on, e.g., Daily Caller (which I always take with a healthy dose of salt on such things in any event).

John Muir Elementary School planned a Black Men Uniting to Change the Narrative event because they had heard such positive feedback about South Shore PK-8 School's experience in February -- when the day began with black male professionals, businessmen, and local elected officials greeting all the kids with high-fives, cheers, before spending more of the school day there, see, e.g.,
http://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/education/black-men-line-seattle-school-walkway-to-send-a-message-to-students/
-- that JMES wanted to host a similar event for their own students near the start of the new school year.
http://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/education/black-men-uniting-event-at-seattles-john-muir-elementary-cancelled-due-to-security-threat/
It was scheduled for today, and that's why the JMES teachers thought it appropriate to wear BLM T-shirts today.

If you read that second (Sept. 15) Seattle Times article linked above, you'll see that the JMES PTA President, Amy Zern (who is white), told the reporter that
all parents were informed,* and that the community had embraced both the event and the teachers’ plans.
“There was a plan in how to discuss this in an age-appropriate way, and in our community, there’s been nothing but support,” Zern said. “It’s awful to see this reaction [of "national hatred" in comments posted in response to media accounts].”

* The stories that say parents were not told in advance seem to be based on nothing more than a lone call to Dori Munson, a conservative radio talk show host in Seattle, by an unidentified man who claimed to be a JMES parent.

Lastly, that same Seattle Times reporter notes, "Meanwhile, at Leschi Elementary [today], community members and teachers high-fived and cheered for students who were walking into the building. Leschi teachers wore shirts that said “Leschi (Hearts) Black Lives.” Without disruptive incident.

 

[ruby59]

Re: Seattle Elementary teachers to wear BLM t-shirts in clas

And I find this ironic. " an annual event called “Black Men United” will be held at John Muir. The event features African American males who volunteer."

What about Black females?

 

[MollyMalone]

Re: Seattle Elementary teachers to wear BLM t-shirts in clas

And I find this ironic. " an annual event called “Black Men United” will be held at John Muir. The event features African American males who volunteer."
What about Black females?

You couldn't bring yourself to say anything remotely positive (or say nothing)?

The reason is found in the correct, complete name of the group -- Black Men Uniting to Change the Narrative -- and explained briefly in the February 8 Seattle Times article (the first link in my post above); similar events in Seattle are now including black women as well:
http://westseattleblog.com/2016/08/will-you-be-there-for-west-seattle-elementarys-first-day-of-school-rally/
And I bet black women are among those who participate in the school's observance of Women's History Month.

 

[ruby59]

Re: Seattle Elementary teachers to wear BLM t-shirts in clas

Guess you couldn't bring yourself to say anything remotely positive (or say nothing).
______________________________________________________

You are rude.

 

[OreoRosies86]

Re: Seattle Elementary teachers to wear BLM t-shirts in clas